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Biggles and the Flying Camera
Biggles and the Flying Camera is a short story which was first published in The Modern Boy Issue 356, 1st December 1934. The story was subsequently gathered and published in 1935 in the anthology Biggles in France where it spanned chapters 11, 12 and 13 and were titled The Camera, Thumbs to Noses! and What a Bullet Did. The story was published again as the second story in Biggles of 266 where it was given the title The Camera. However it reappeared in 1993 in the Red Fox Biggles in France and the 2009 Norman Wright edition. Both of these versions retained the chapter division and titles of the 1935 edition. In the Modern Boy sequence, this story is preceded by Biggles' Sky High Hat Trick and followed by Biggles' Sky High Spy. Synopsis Raymond gives Biggles a tough assignment: bring down a German reconnaissance aircraft and if possible, retrieve its ultra-advanced camera intact. The only problem is, the aircraft flies much higher than any British fighter is capable of. Plot (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) Major Raymond has a special assignment for Biggles: a specially equipped German aircraft has been operating in 266 Squadron's sector. It is equipped with a highly advanced, one of a kind aerial reconnaissance camera. Such a camera had taken 5 years to manufacutre and gives ultra-sharp photographs from a great height. Some time ago, the German aircraft operating the camera had been shot down over British lines and the camera had been captured. The British forces had enjoyed its services for a while until its aircraft had in turn been shot down so that the camera is back in German hands. Anti-aircraft batteries had recently reported a German aircraft operating at up to twenty-four thousand feet. "How am I going to get up there?" Biggles asks Raymond. His Camel cannot reach such heights. "That is for you to work out," replies the Major. Ever the master of persuasion, Raymond suggests that Wilks of 287 Squadron is also on the job and that his S.E.5 might have a better chance. This is enough to motivate Biggles. Biggles' first attempt to engage the German aircraft, a two seater of the Halberstadt design, ends in abject failure. He cannot get high enough, and the German pilot even contemptuously descends a little so that both he and his observer can give Biggles a thumbs to nose greeting. Outraged, Biggles returns to base and asks Smyth to increase the ceiling of his aircraft. They would lighten the aircraft as much as possible--take out the instruments, carry only a small amount of fuel and ammunition, and polish the airframe and propellor to reduce drag. Then they would add flimsy extensions to make the top wings longer. These modifications work, and Biggles is able to climb above the German Halberstadt and fire a short burst and instructs the aircraft to land. The German obeys but crashes when putting down in a small field. Biggles, unfamiliar with the different charcteristics from the lengthened wings, also misjudges his landing and crashes. He rushes over to the crashed German plane and is able to save the pilot and observer. Raymond turns up and Biggles is happy to hand the camera over. Only, there's a bullet hole through the lens! Characters *Biggles *Captain MacLaren *Captain Mahoney *Wat Tyler *Algy Lacey *Major Raymond *Major Mullen *Wilks *Flight Sergeant Smyth Aircraft *Sopwith Camel *Rumpler *S.E.5 *Airco D.H.4 *Halberstadt Places Visited *Maranique *Lille *Bethune *Annoeulin *Treizennes Mentioned *Seclin Editorial Changes *Raymond is a Major here but his rank is changed to Colonel in the Biggles of 266 version. Other Research Notes *Aerial Victories: Biggles 1. *"A joyful song broke from his lips as the Camel climbed higher and higher...." Light-headedness is a symptom of hypoxia, or the lack of oxygen. At this point Biggles was probably passing 20,000 ft, high above the safe limit where a human being can survive for long without supplemental oxygen. Whether intentional or not, Johns has described Biggles' hypoxic state accurately. References to the past Incongruities Chronology (see also table at Timeline of the Biggles Stories) From a chronology point of view, this story is from the second block of Modern Boy stories which went into Biggles in France. This block was published about 4 months after the first block and appear to depict a later time during the war, in late 1917 (except for Hat Trick which is in the first block but must be set even later, in 1918.) In the second block, Biggles is obviously a flight commander and AIgy Lacey has joined the squadron. Indeed, in Camera, it is stated that Algy "had joined the squadron not long before". This would place the story in late August 1917.Ward Powers. "What Happened to Biggles in WW1?" ''Biggles Flies Again'' Vol. 3 No. 1, June 2009. Publication History *''The Modern Boy'', Issue 356, 1st December 1934 *''Biggles in France'', Boy's Friend Library No. 501 7th November 1935 (as three chapters: The Camera, Thumbs to Noses! and What a Bullet can Do) *''Biggles of 266'', 1956 *''Biggles in France'', Red Fox, 1993 and subsequent reprints *''Biggles in France'', Norman Wright, 2009 References External Links Category:Short stories Category:Biggles short stories Category:World War One era short stories